College Essay

By Anonymous, pewaukee, WI

Image Credit: Edgard B., Coral Springs, FL

The author's comments:

Ever since I was little I have always wanted to go to the final four. Sophomore year of high school I received this opportunity. When I sat in my room watching TV, my mom walked in and asked me if I wanted to go to the final four in New Orleans. I said yes! And I jumped out of my bed. I ran around my house screaming! we`re going to the final four! I was excited as a camel on hump day.
I walked on the plane and thought, this is going to be awesome. And realizing that less than 1% of the people in this world will have this experience. When we arrive in the New Orleans air port, my mom says “we are staying at the best western in the French quarter”. Which is 2 blocks away from Bourbon Street. When we arrive to our hotel, I plop myself on the bed with me feet throbbing from my long day of travel. My Mom wants to go check out Bourbon Street for the first time. As I am walking there with my throbbing feet I am admiring the French quarters, and the beauty it has. Once my mom and I arrive at Bourbon Street, we start seeing a people in costumes, masks, and half naked people. Street performing kids trying to make money to survive in the world. Every other store there was a strip club. Once we are done checking out Bourbon Street we walk back to our hotel room and thinking about what the next day is going to bring us because the games don’t start for another day
The next day arrived, and we decided as a family to just chill out at the pool and get some sun. The day arrived where I get to watch my favorite college basketball team the Kansas Jayhawks. The first game is against the Louisville carnivals vs. the Kentucky wild cats in the semifinals game. The wildcats end up winning by 10 points. Kansas and Ohio State play right after. At the end of the first half of the Kansas game. Kansas is down by 11 points and I am thinking that they aren’t going to make it another game in the tournament. With an outstanding come back the Kansas Jayhawks end up winning the game by 5 points! My favorite team is in the national championship game against the best team in the nation the Kentucky wildcats.
The night comes; Bourbon Street is going crazy with all of the Kansas and Kentucky fans. All I see in blue shirts walking around. The next day is the big day the national championship, and I get to sit court side for the biggest game of the year. Me and my family are walking out of the hotel. A bus pulls up and since we have court side seats we get a police escort to the game in a beautiful couch bus. Once we get to the stadium we get to go in the back door. It was like a movie star entrance. Then we come out on to the floor and the stadium is packed, I feel like the coolest person in the world. We walk to our seats and all I remember is looking around and admiring what kind of opportunity I received. The owner of Nike in sitting in our row, Jay Z in a row up and about 10 seats over. Even though my Jayhawks lost in the nation championship it was still an amazing experience.

“Jack swishes a three pointer to win the game!” says the announcer. The fans rush the court in a mob, put me on their shoulders, and carry me out of the gym in celebration. The mob sets me down in front of multiple college basketball coaches, one of which is Bill Self from the University of Kansas. Coach Self shakes my hand and offers me a scholarship to play ball for the Jayhawks! Am I dreaming?

Beep, beep, beep! At 5:30 A.M my alarm wails like a police car siren. Wanting to stay in bed, I know there is some other kid out there that is getting better and might get that scholarship over me, I get up with urgency. Then, wake my dad up so he can rebound and push me hard when exhaustion sets into my body.

I fight through pain just to have a chance at success. My knees hurt, as if a knife was stabbing into the front of them every time I bent down. But I tufted up and thought about that other kid that could get that scholarship. Yes, there were days where I got two hours of sleep the night before, and thought there is no chance I am getting up this morning. So, to keep myself disciplined, I wrote down my goals on a note pad beside my bed, and what my plan was to achieve that goal.

Eventually, my knee pain got to a point where my knees were hurting all the time, like a needle stuck in front of my knee constantly which forced me to finally make an appointment with the doctor. After undergoing tests, the doctor said, “both knees had partially torn patella tendon,” which required surgery. I asked the doctor, “How did this injury happen?”

He said, “The way you get it is from overuse, and wear and tear”. Over training on my craft until my two patellas tore. I`ve shown it before and will show it again by bringing my work ethic to your school and apply it to not only my athletics, but also my academics and extracurricular activities. I will do whatever it takes to be successful and have learned only through hard work is there reward and achievement no matter how difficult the road can be reaching your goals.

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